The March 2009 lead article of Archives of General Psychiatry is a dissection of psychological characteristics associated with paranoid illness. Low self esteem is one of them. It is rather remarkable that they are (appropriately) able to say that this analysis 'might lead to new therapies' for paranoid illness. The cover of the journal is a reproduction of a Vermeer that was in the hands of Hitler for a while; interesting forgeries which Goering took to including 'Christ at Emmaus' are shown in the discussion and their history discussed as well as a nice discussion of the lovely Vermeer.

Following some discussion of Sylvia Plath's son's suicide.

An article on Lamotrigine (Lamictal) touching on mechanism of action. The context is an unusual use, in schizophrenia.

Update 3-29: The drug MOA appears to be inhibition of voltage dependent Na+ channels. This increases NMDA receptor glutamate transmission apparently. For those allergic to Lamictal, carbamazepine has a similar mechanism of action but the clinical data is limited, mixed, negative in a double blind study. The key reference is Large CH, Webster EL, Goff DC. Psychopharmacology 18: 415-436, SEP 2005. Oxcarbazepine (Trileptal) is a more potent inhibitor of the channels than the earlier drug carbamazepine

Van Wallach has an excellent post that incorporates the feeling of guilt in Christianity vs. Judaism and a personal odyssey.

Tom Maguire on the shape were in over the AIG furor.

Some good links on St. Patrick's day (above the target).

The WSJ has a great article which traces the fall of AIG to the out of control Spitzer.

Osama bin Elvis, an interesting perspective on the War on Terror and the role of the CIA in conflicts since WWII.

Mankiw recommends the textbook Money and Banking.

HuffPo has a good link to Samuel Johnson of MIT and a former IMF official on the obfuscation of citing 'unknowns' in the banking crisis.

Following discussion of the Wyeth (Phenergan IV push) ruling of the Supreme Court on Volokh.